Chill Out
Some folks make the mistake of serving sparkling wine at room temperature. Sparklers are definitely a treat to be served cool – poured from the bottle at a temperature between 43 and 48 degrees Farenheit. Cool it in the fridge (but make sure that you don’t store it so long there that it begins to taste like other food you have stored) or, preferably, in a bucket filled with a mixture of water and ice. If you want to speed up the chilling process, throw a little rock salt in the bucket to reduce the temperature of the ice to below zero. Brrr. Your sparkling wine will love it!
Here’s a big don’t!
Don’t try to speed up the chilling by putting the sparkler in the freezer. You don’t want to hear the explosion or clean up the mess. If you have a room temperature bottle, just place it in the fridge for 45 minutes and it should be perfect to serve.
Opening the Sparkler
Removing a sparkler cork is easy if you use some simple common sense. But, first you’ve got to remove some layers before actually reaching the cork.
First remove enough foil from the top of the bottle to reveal the cork. You’ll see that a wire cage covers the cork. On the side of the cage you’ll see a little section of wire twisted into a little handle. Pull that handle away from the side of the cage and untwist the wire. Point the bottle away from yourself and anyone else, too! Yes, indeed, there is a reason that little wire is there! It is holding that cork in the bottle and it could pop and release at any time – at a very high speed, too! Once the cage has been removed, continue to keep a firm hold of the bottle while gripping the cork with the other hand. Slowly twist the bottle round (not the cork), remember the goal is for the cork to emerge from the bottle with a small sigh (ah, yes) not a large and loud explosion. The louder the pop, the fewer bubbles you will enjoy. Go for the “quiet pop”.
First remove enough foil from the top of the bottle to reveal the cork. You’ll see that a wire cage covers the cork. On the side of the cage you’ll see a little section of wire twisted into a little handle. Pull that handle away from the side of the cage and untwist the wire. Point the bottle away from yourself and anyone else, too! Yes, indeed, there is a reason that little wire is there! It is holding that cork in the bottle and it could pop and release at any time – at a very high speed, too! Once the cage has been removed, continue to keep a firm hold of the bottle while gripping the cork with the other hand. Slowly twist the bottle round (not the cork), remember the goal is for the cork to emerge from the bottle with a small sigh (ah, yes) not a large and loud explosion. The louder the pop, the fewer bubbles you will enjoy. Go for the “quiet pop”.
The Pour
Select your sparkling glasses carefully. Flutes are just perfect! Make sure they are clean and sparkling!Hold the bottle placing your thumb into the dimple at the bottom of the bottle (this is known as the punt) and splay your fingers across the barrel of the bottle. It may feel a little strange at first but you will soon see that you can maintain a firm grip on the bottle in this way.Grasping the bottle, take a clean white napkin and wipe the rim of the bottle removing any natural dirt, then pour a small splash into the bottom of each glass. Then return to each glass, filling it three quarters full with sparkling wine. This will keep any of those beautiful bubbles from escaping over the side of the glass.
Relax. Savor. Enjoy. You may find yourself agreeing with that French cellar master and Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon, when he said, “I am drinking stars”.
Relax. Savor. Enjoy. You may find yourself agreeing with that French cellar master and Benedictine monk named Dom Perignon, when he said, “I am drinking stars”.
